captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: breaking news tonight, america shuts down. the president issues new guidelines to slow the spread. no more than ten people at social gatherings. >> it's bad, but we're going to be hopefully a best case, not a onrst case. >> o'donnell: empty offices, streets deserted, bars and restaurants closed. san francisco orders everyone to shelter in place. 36 million children home from school. how long could this last? stock shock. trading halted again. the markets plummet as fears of massive job losses rise. who will be hurt most, and will it widen the gap between rich and poor? urgent plea. medical professionals on the front lines beg for protective equipment. at least two emergency room doctors are in critical condition after being infected. race for a vaccine. we get a closeup look at the

effort to ramp up testing and develop a vaccine. life under quarantine. our rome correspondent seth doane shares his story. what life is like with the virus. plus, we speak with dr. birx of the president's coronavirus task force. why she says millennials are key to getting through the crisis. and, closed for business. a restaurant has become a business for the whole community. just one example of americans helping each other in a time of need. this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening to our viewers in the west. we're going to begin with that breaking news tonight. sweeping new guidelines from the white house designed to slow the rapid spread of coronavirus by asking nearly every american to stay home from work or school for the next 15 days. in almost every aspect of daily life, america is closed for business. and today, wall street took a

beating. the dow fell about 3,000 points, its largest one-day point drop in history. and tonight, america's streets are empty, from new york city to los angeles. bars and restaurants have been told to close or only serve takeout. the president admitting late today the country may be headed into a recession, as businesses are forced to layoff millions of workers. the world health organization said there is still not enough testing being done. and some governors say they don't have enough hospital beds. there is a lot of important information to report as we come on the air tonight, and our correspondents are covering it all. ben tracy is going to lead us off tonight from the white house, and ben, the president says these next two weeks are critical? >> reporter: that's right. this was a very different president trump today. gone was the leader who said the virus will pass and everyone should just relax. today, the president had stern warnings for all americans. >> this is something. it's an invisible enemy. >> reporter: a more somber president trump said the coronavirus could last through

july or august and cause a recession. >> we have made the decision to further toughen the guidelines and blunt the infection now. we would much rather be ahead of the curve than behind it. >> reporter: the new c.d.c. guidelines say for the next 15 days all americans should stay home from work and school, avoid social gatherings of more than ten people, and eating and drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts. but these are recommendations, not requirements. are you telling governors in those states, then, to close all their restaurants? >> well, we haven't said that yet. >> why not? >> we're-- we're recommending things. that could happen, but we have not got there yet. >> reporter: new york governor andrew cuomo says the white house needs to be more clear. >> this is a national problem, and we need federal leadership. >> reporter: on a call with the nation's governors today, president trump told them to find critical supplies of respirators and masks on their own, because federal help may be too slow. the president has also said that

he takes no responsibility for these slow rollout of testing kits around the country. asked today to rate his performance of handling this crisis, he gave himself a ten. norah? >> o'donnell: ben, thank you. joining us now is dr. deborah birx. she serves as the white house coronavirus response coordinator. this is her first interview since the outbreak began. doctor, so good to have you. are these guidelines getting us closer to what would amount to a national or nationwide quarantine? >> so, these guidelines that we came out with today are very much based on models. so we've looked very carefully at, what actually works? what can you layer together to have the biggest impact? this is a virus. we can conquer this, but it will be strictly on the basis of our behaviors and what we do. >> o'donnell: why 15 days? what do you think will happen if everyone follows these guidelines? could we stop it? >> we can level it out. this is a roadmap to prevent your grandmother from getting

sick. this is a roadmap to prevent your grandmother from having to be hospitalized, or your grandfather. this is a roadmap of what everyone can do today to really protect the people who have been on cancer treatments, to really ensure that they can survive through this epidemic. >> o'donnell: what happens if people don't follow these guidelines? >> well, we can see an example of that. you know, italy was slow to introduce these guidelines. it's very much like dr. fauci said today-- if you're not uncomfortable, if you're not really putting together and asking for sacrifice, you're going to get behind the virus. and if you get behind a pandemic-- this virus is about two to three times more contagious than flu. so that's why we want everybody to do everything that they can. we know that we have a large group of millennials between 25 and almost 40. they are really key to this. they're a social group. so that "no more than ten" is very much focused on them, to really say, even if you're home,

don't have gatherings of more than ten. >> o'donnell: as you know, there are large number of cases in new york. the governor of new york said, i don't believe we're going to be able to flatten the curve enough. do you agree with that? >> we can flatten the curve even in new york, but the amount of behavioral change that it's going to take-- it's going to take every american to sacrifice for one another. >> o'donnell: you see all the numbers. >>at's your biggest concern? >> my biggest concern is that americans everywhere will think that they're okay, they're not at risk, and they won't follow these guidelines. and what we know is, even if you perceive that you're not at risk, you put others at risk by not following these. >> o'donnell: dr. birx, thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> o'donnell: and today the surgeon general says there is chance the u.s. could be hit as hard as italy if we don't take this crisis seriously. cases here in the u.s. have exploded. look at this. there are now more than 4,300

cases confirmed with more than 80 deaths. mola lenghi joins us from new york's grand central terminal, which is much quieter than usual ch quieter than usual mola? >> reporter: yeah, norah, typically grand central would be bustling for the rush hour commute. this is nowhere near the level it normally is, illustrating just how those closings, cancellations, and social distancing is really bringing american life to a standstill. tonight, a nation on lockdown. businesses shuttered and streets empty, all in an attempt to slow coronavirus's spread. today, new york, new jersey, and connecticut announced a coordinated social life shutdown. more than 30 million without access to theaters. restaurants and bars will only be open for take-out and delivery. but new york's governor andrew cuomo is calling for federal leadership. >> rather than having us scramble, of every local and state government trying to

figure it out on its own. >> reporter: david honor is the owner of fred's restaurant in manhattan. >> we have been here 23 years. and i have had people that have worked with me for 23 years. and the longer it's closed, you know, people are going to probably leave the city. >> reporter: school closures are affecting more than 35 million students in at least 35 states. closed schools and cities including new york and houston handed out free meals to children now spending their days at home. public schools in los angeles also closed their doors today. the nation's second largest school district serves 600,000 students. 80% of them live below the poverty line, and 30,000 are homeless. grab-and-go meal sites won't be open until wednesday. l.a. superintendent austin beutner. >> we want to do it right and prepare carefully and make sure everyone involved is safe. that's taking some time to prepare for. >> reporter: and san francisco just announced a state of emergency, allowing people to

only go grocery shopping. and tonight, coronavirus testing is ramping up across the country, more than 50,000 so far. dr. anthony fauci, the nation's top infectious disease center, endorsed the need for mass isolation. >> the best way to address it would be to do something that looks like it might be an overreaction. it isn't an overreaction. >> reporter: as you can imagine, still a ways away from returning to normal. new york city mayor bill de blasio says he hopes to reopen the school districts by april 20th in new york city, but he cautions they could remain closed for the rest of the academic year, norah. >> o'donnell: that is a frightening scenario for many parents. mola, thank you. today, financial markets suffered historic losses, the dow falling almost 3,000 points. that's the biggest one-day point drop of all time. jill schlesinger tonight is outside nasdaq headquarters in new york. jill, this has really been just a stunning day.

>> reporter: absolutely. reminds me when i was a young trader in 1987, that crash day when the market was down 22%. today the second worst percentage loss, 13%. and you know, it was only a month ago when the markets and the economy seemed to be chugging along. since then, we have slammed on the brakes, gone into a skid, and who knows, maybe we're going to find ourselves in a ditch. if there is one thing investors hate, it's doubt. and right now, with coronavirus, even traders are being checked on wall street, where there is as much uncertainty as there is on main street. sadly, one thing is for sure-- the economy will slow to a crawl, which could lead to job losses in the millions. already, actor ethan niven has no income because his l.a. theater company has gone dark. >> i don't want to say, like, we're starting to panic, but we are starting to worry where we'll get our next meal, where we'll get our next job.

>> reporter: michelle clark is a single mother in illinois who had two restaurant jobs. today, she has no work at all. >> i don't know how i'm going to pay my bills. i don't know how i'm going to pay my rent. s> reporter: the fed has stepped stepped in to keep f in to keep funds flowing, but coronavirus adds a new twist, says economist diane swonk. >> there's just no way companies can plan for this full stop in activity. >> reporter: congress is trying to come to the rescue, but with the president saying we may be sliding into a recession, there's not a lot of time left for both the nation's small businesses, which employ about 60 million people, and lower- wage, non-government workers. >> we need people to have their wages covered. we need paid sick leave. that's why it's so critically important that we get cash in individual's hands, so that they don't lose everything. >> reporter: there's no way to fully prevent hardship. we just hope that there is help for everyday workers as soon as possible. norah. >> o'donnell: i know, that is the biggest concern. jill, thank you. and tonight, doctors and nurses

on the front lines are worried if america's 6,000 hospitals will have enough beds and supplies to handle the outbreak. new york's governor is now calling for military bases to be used as makeshift care centers. carter evans has more on the race to respond. >> you now have this influx you can't handle. you overwhelm the hospitals. you have people on gurneys in hallways. that is what is going to happen now if we do nothing. >> reporter: new york governor andrew cuomo is sounding the alarm. we could see scenes like this from hospitals in italy unfolding here in the u.s. >> our hospitals are not prepared. >> reporter: bonnie castillo is executive director of national nurses united. she says the biggest problem right now is a lack of medical supplies. nurses and doctors are already getting sick. >> yes, that's true, and more will. and as more get s and have exposure, we get sidelined.

and then who is there to take care of the patients? >> reporter: to get through the outbreak, it's estimated medical workers will need 3.5 billion n-95 medical masks. currently, there is a national stockpile of only 12 million. depending on the severity of the outbreak, 200,000 to 2.9 million intensive care beds could be needed. right now, there are fewer than 65,000 i.c.u. beds available in the entire country. the shortages are already causing some doctors to change the way they treat patients. >> i'm rapidly attempting to convert my practice from an in-house practice to answering patients' concerns on the phone. >> reporter: in order to continue treating patients, doctors tell me it's critical that efforts to slow down this virus succeed. they say if people don't isolate now, hospitals in this nation will be overwhelmed. norah? >> o'donnell: all right, carter. thank you. in seattle today, the first patients were given shots in a clinical trial of a potential

vaccine for covid-19. about two dozen potential vaccines are being developed oround the world, including one at the national institutes of health, and another at the walter reed army institute of research, that's just outside of washington. david martin went there to show us how it works. >> reporter: this is the part of the coronavirus that can actually infect you. >> this is the part up here that latches on to your lung cells. >> reporter: dr. kayvon modjarrad is a director at the walter reed army institute of research. this is obviously magnified. what is the actual size of this? >> about 20,000 of these could fit on the head of a pin. >> reporter: he's testing a potential vaccine that would block the virus from attaching itself to your lung. >> if it can't get into your lung cells, it can't cause the disease. >> reporter: the race for a coronavirus vaccine will take 12 to 18 months to run. so, lieutenant colonel mara kretschamn-dietrick is working

on a drug that people who already have the disease can take. >> what we're aiming to develop here is an anti-viral treatment that will kill the virus and actually cure them of the disease so they don't further spread it to the rest of the community. >> reporter: she says an existing drug used against ebola may work against the coronavirus as well. >> it's ready for a clinical trial in humans, and once those clinical trials show that it's effective, then it will be available for wider use in humans, yes. >> reporter: it hasn't yet been proved effective, but it could be used as an emergency treatment. david martin, cbs news, walter reed army institute of research. >> o'donnell: and there is still much more news ahead. on tonight's "cbs evening news," living with the coronavirus. seth doane's very personal story, including the symptoms the symptomsed him that he that convinced him that h needed to be tested. plus, an update on the health of tom hanks and his wife, rita wilson. and later, in the worst of fimes, they are showing the best times, they are of humanity.

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>> o'donnell: our cbs news correspondents often put themselves in dangerous situations to report on important stories. seth doane is based in rome, a hot spot for the coronavirus, and like nearly 28,000 others in italy, seth has been infected. and tonight, he is telling his story. >> reporter: this deadly virus, which has shut down cities, challenged healthcare systems, and taken lives, does not discriminate. and if you've ever been to the spanish steps in the heart of rome, you know how unusual-- ( coughing ) a reporter never wants to be part of a story, particularly this one. >> six cbs news employees were diagnosed with covid-19. and one of them is cbs news foreign correspondent seth doane. >> reporter: after being exposed and developing mild symptoms, cough, fever, and chest pressure, italian health workers

in protective gear came to our home to swab test us and have been monitoring symptoms daily. from the moment i learned i was exposed to positive cases, we've taken this quarantine seriously, because you have to stop this spread. that means friends dropping groceries, dinner parties via video chat, and across italy... ♪ ♪ ...a sense of community, if only from the window. i tried to contact everyone i d,w since being exposed, which is emotional and difficult, but vital. it is key that those of us who have mild symptoms not pass it on to those who could be more at risk. we must get tested, decrease exposure, and stop the spread of this in our communities. norah. >> o'donnell: seth, such an important point. thanks for sharing your story, and for helping all of us with it, thank you. and we have an update now on actor tom hanks and his wife rita wilson. they both tested positive for coronavirus in australia.

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>> o'donnell: a national crisis brings out the very best in americans-- people putting others before themselves. here's jamie yuccas. >> reporter: at the hope breakfast bar at st. paul, minnesota... >> you got the pork belly biscuit? >> reporter: ...chef brian ingram has traded his spatula for his iphone. >> everybody was, how can i help? can i come volunteer? >> reporter: do you think people right now need something to give back to? >> yeah, i think people need hope right now. >> reporter: that hope comes in the form of the free meal he's offering to families quarantined or tight on cash. >> family of seven, pancakes. >> reporter: this weekend the breakfast bar was filled with customers. today it's been transformed from restaurant to community kitchen, but the registers are empty. >> i get it all the time. how can you afford to do it? and our vision is, how can we afford not to do it. >> reporter: about 50 deliveries are made a day, thanks to

volunteer drivers like mick white and his son, mcallister. >> we're delivering hope to these people. >> reporter: people like shantell mcgee. >> from our heart-- she made that, my daughter... >> thank you! >> and my other daughter did this. >> we just need more people like you in the world. >> we're just doing what we can to help. >> fried chicken and waffles. >> reporter: brian ingram is not sure how he'll keep the restaurant afloat. >> i've been asked 100 times today, how long will you do it? until we either run out of money or we go bankrupt, or the pandemic ends. >> reporter: because there's always hope. jamie yuccas, cbs news, st. paul, minnesota. >> o'donnell: delivering hope. we've been talking about kindness. let's continue it. we'll be right back.

>> o'donnell: tomorrow, a distillery switching from making spirits to hand sanitizer. if you can't watch us live, don't forget to set your dvr. i'm norah o'donnell in washington. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh acce

you will see a large deployment in certain areas where we would consider where shops are closed. officers in cars. you will see cars with the lights on driving especially when it gets dark. life under lockdown. six bay area counties taking historic action. part of what we are also seeing is definitely a change in behavior. there has been a lot of fear that his driven consumer behavior that is not helpful. the growing risk for seniors isolated by the coronavirus. is where we worry about increase the risk of depression. and unfortunately suicide is also a concern. yes some shelves t